Effect of staggered sowing and foliar spray of fertilizer on seed yield and quality of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) hybrid GHB 905

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during summer seasons of 2018 on loamy sand soil at Regional Research Station Farm, Anand Agricultural University, Anand, Gujarat to study the effect of staggered sowing and foliar spray of fertilizer on seed yield and quality of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) hybrid GHB 905. The experiment was laid out in split plot design with nine treatment combinations and four replications. The results revealed that sowing of male parent by four days earlier to female and foliar spray of urea @ 2% on male parent at 25 DAS recorded less number of days to 50% flowering in male (49.25 days) and it also recorded significantly higher ear head length (25.44 cm), ear head girth (9.03 cm), number of seeds per ear head (2048), ear head weight (25.80 g), seed weight per ear head (18.28 g), test weight (7.88 g) and hybrid seed yield (2172 kg/ha). Higher seed quality traits viz., seed germination (84.25%), seedling root length (14.75 cm), seedling shoot length (3.95 cm), seedling dry weight (38.62 mg), seedling vigour index I (1575) and seedling vigour index II (3254) with higher net returns of ₹ 106020/ha and BCR of 4.70 were also reported under same treatment combination.